Safety canopy for snowmobiles

ABSTRACT

A combination safety canopy and roll bar construction for snowmobiles which has a suitable framework either pivotably or slidably mounted on either side of the snowmobile frame to allow for the ingress and egress of passengers. The framework being integral with a solid transparent shield forming the canopy per se, and acts to contain and provide heat from the engine for the snowmobile occupants. The frame has U-shaped members of sufficient strength and so constructed and arranged as to form roll bars for the protection of the individuals, should the vehicle overturn.

United States Patent [72] inventors Robert F. Benz Milwaukee, Wk; PhilipJ. Pearson, 5104 N. Lovers Lane Road, Milwaukee, Wis. 53225 [21] Appl.No. 6,844 [22] Filed Jan. 29, 1970 [45] Patented Nov. 23, 1971 [73]Assignee said Pearson, by said Benz [54] SAFETY CANOPY FOR SNOWMOBILES 2Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.C1 280/150 R, 180/5 R, 296/28 R, 296/104 [51 Int. Cl 862d 33/06[50] FieldoiSearch 180/5,3,4, 6, 9.24; 296/24, 3i P, 37, 104, 28 C, 28;244/121; 280/150 [56} References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,777,728l/1957 Barenyi 296/137BX 3,194,517 7/1965 Morris 244/121 D. 216,7843/1970 Martinmaas 18015 2,549,938 4/1951 Seaman 296/104 2,656,90410/1953 Grenier 180/5 ux 2,967,073 1/1961 Gagliardi 296/146 3,360,29512/1967 Reynolds 296/28C OTHER REFERENCES Motrak Corporation Parts List,published Nov., 1966, for Motrak Corp., Minneapolis, Minn., 180/5Primary Examiner-Richard J. Johnson Attorney-Morse & Morsell tion of theindividuals, should the vehicle overturn.

PATENTEnunv 23 Ian SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTORS ROBERT F. B N PHILIP J.PEARSON finder-M ATTORNEYS PATENTEDuuv 23 I9?! SHEET 2 [IF 2 INVENTORSROB ERT F. BENZ PHIL'IP 'J. PEARSON ATTORNEVYS SAFETY CANOPY FORSNOWMOBILES Snowmobiling has become an extremely popular sport and thereare numerous types of snowmobiles on the market. But, regardless ofdesign, all snowmobiles are provided with a forwardly extending pair ofski runners capable of being turned for steering and guiding purposes, amain frame and tracktype propelling means. To provide forward motion,the engine is mounted forward of the frame and suitable seats areprovided over the track means. Some of these machines maintain a fairspeed and are apt to overturn and injure the riders. There has even beeninstances of snowmobiles, in poor vision operation, running under chainsand other obstructions, causing serious and critical injuries to theoperator and passengers. Further, the machine, rearwardly of the engine,is open and the only protection of any sort from the elements is theaddition of a small windshield. In extremely cold weather, this causes agreat discomfort to the operator and riders.

There has long been a need therefore, for the provision of a cover orcanopy which will protect the occupants of the vehicle from the cold bymaking use of the engines heat, and also, and probably most important,of providing a safety means if the vehicle is involved in an accident orturns over. All of this should be accomplished of course, withoutobstructing the view on all sides, particularly since in many instancesthe vehi cles run in very close proximity, one to the other.

It is therefore a primary object of my present invention to provide anovel windshield and canopy construction which is streamlined and notonly confines the heat from the engine, but also is transparent and ofsufficient strength to provide a safety factor for occupants of thevehicle.

Another important object of my present invention is to provide atransparent safety windshield and/or canopy for snowmobiles, which canbe readily moved out of the way to provide for the easy entrance of theoperator and riders, and which can be moved to a closed locked positionto completely encompass the occupants of the vehicle and to provide asafety enclosure.

A further object of my present invention is to provide a windshieldconstruction which fits over the main cowling of the engine, and extendsrearwardly and is supported by a strong U-shaped roll bar, thus givingnot only a means for confining and directing heat towards the operator,but also providing a safety factor, should the vehicle be involved in anaccident.

A salient feature of my present invention resides in a safety coveringwhich extends from the cowling of the vehicle, rearwardly, for asufiicient length to direct heat toward the operator, and to provide asafety protector should the vehicle run into obstructions or overturn.

Another object of my present invention is to provide a novel safetytransparent canopy having two sections, a windshield section and amovable rear canopy section, both sections having an all steel framethat gives protection to the occupants in case of accidents, whileproviding undistorted clear all-around vision and relief from theweather.

Still another object of my present invention is to provide a transparentsafety canopy for snowmobiles having a lightweight tubular frameconstruction allowing for ease of installation, opening and/or removingand being of sufficient strength to protect the occupants from injury.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical, andreliable construction that is economical to manufacture, easy toassemble and positive in its operation.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more readily appearas the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings in which;

FIG. I is a side elevational view in perspective of one type of safetycanopy arrangement with certain parts being broken away to illustratedetails in its construction;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the framework shown in FIG. 1 ofthe drawings, but removed from the vehicle and without the strongtransparent outer covering;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the framework shown in FIG. 2of the drawings, the section being taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 andlooking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 4-4of FIG. 2 of the drawings and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section on the same scale as FIG. 4 of thedrawings but taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of thearrows; v

FIG. 6 is a transverse section showing one means for locking themoveable frame section to the windshield frame section, the sectionbeing taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3 looking in the direction of thearrows;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 2 of the drawings butshowing a modified construction for opening and closing the rear canopyportion of the frame; and,

FIG. 8 is a transverse vertical section taken through one of the siderails, the section being indicated by the line 8-8 in FIG. 7 of thedrawings looking in the direction of the arrows.

Turning now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to that formof the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6 inclusive, the letter Cgenerally indicates a preferred form of my invention and the sameincludes broadly a transparent windshield section 10 and a transparentcanopy section 11.

As previously brought out, there are many different types of snowmobileson the market and, therefore, the snowmobile structure per se, forms noparticular part of the present invention and can be of any desiredconstruction. However, as illustrated in dotted lines, FIG. I, allsnowmobiles are built to provide a forward cowling 12 housing theengine; front ski members 13, which provide means for guiding thevehicle and a rearwardly extending seat 14 for the operator and riders.Generally, a snowmobile windshield is provided just forward of thedashboard and the remainder of the vehicle is open. A small side rail isprovided so that the riders may place their feet thereon.

Snowmobiles are operated in relatively cold weather and in and over alltypes of terrain. There have been some serious accidents due to thevehicles overturning or running under low objects such as chains acrossdriveways and fire lanes.

The present invention, therefore, is to provide a transparent safetycanopy arrangement which will confine the heat given off from the engineand which does not obstruct the all around view of the operator, andwhich also provides a safety factor should the vehicle overturn. Thus,in its simplest form the windshield section includes a framework whichis secured to the vehicle frame and is generally rigid. Therefore, theframework for the windshield 10 includes a U-shaped tubular bar 15, ofsufficient strength to act as a roll bar. This U-shaped member is inturn secured to a plate 16 (FIG. 4) which may be bolted or otherwiseaffixed to the frame of the vehicle. Extending rearwardly, and firmlywelded to the other side of the bar 15, is a pair of substantiallytriangular plates or gussets 17. The purpose of which will becomereadily apparent as the description proceeds. v i

The forward windshield frame also includes a forwardly directed framebar 18 adapted to fit over the cowling 12 of the vehicle. If desired, apair of brace bars 19, welded to bars 18 and 15, may be provided forsufiicient strength. Over this framework, and fixed securely thereto, isa. transparent windshield. Preferably, this windshield will be of a hardnonshattering plastic or the like. I

The safety canopy section of the framework is designed to extendrearwardly from the windshield section and preferably for the entirelength of themachine and is open at the rear portion 20, thereof. Toprovide for the ease of entering the vehicle, the rear canopy sectionshould be provided with a closed locked position and an opened position.

FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates in full lines, the framework of thesafety canopy 11 in its closed locked position, and in dotted lines inits open position. To provide for this case of entry, it should be notedthat the canopy is pivoted to the frame adjacent the rear portionthereof. While the frameworks of both sections may be of any desiredconstruction strong enough to provide for the aforementioned safetyfactors in the preferred form, both frameworks include an all steeltubular structure and it has been found that actually inch steelconduits and 54-inch gussets perform the job well. The steel gussets areprovided, of course, to give added strength to the corners. Theaforementioned spaced gussets 17 on either side of the windshieldframework act as pockets and as a heel for. restraining and preventingthe opening and transverse movement of the canopy section when thesame'is in its locked position.

Therefore, the rear canopy frame includes two special transverselyaligned U-shaped roll bar members 23 and 24, respectively connected attheir top and sides by longitudinally extending frame members 25 and 26,respectively. Longitudinally extending bottom frame members 27 are alsoprovided to complete the frame. The member 25 is slightly convex inshape as is readily apparent in FIG. 2 and this adds to the streamlinedefi'ect.

The U-shaped member 23 of the canopy frame portion 11 is positioned inalignment with and is of substantially the same size and configurationas the roll bar 15 of the windshield frame member and the lower end ofbar 23 is firmly welded to a respective bar 27 to form a corner member30,

which fits within the aligned pieces 17, as shown more clearly in FIGS.3 and 4 of the drawings. Thus, the forward portion of the canopy frame 1l is held against transverse movement, and as an added safety feature,roll bars and 23 are latched together. This, of course, may beaccomplished in any of a number of ways, and there may be a series oflatches. However, in FIGS. 3 and 6 of the drawings, l have illustratedthree identical latch members and each includes a hook 33 secured to bar23 and a swinging ring latch member 34. This type of latch is of astandard construction which includes pivoted wire ring 35, and pivotedfinger piece 36. To lock the two members together it is merely necessaryto move the latch member to its dotted line position, (FIG. 6) place thering 35 in alignment with hook 33 and pivot the same to its full lineposition where the members are then firmly secured. It should also benoted that it is desirable at the lower comers to brace the connectionbetween bars 27 and 23 by providing triangular-shaped brace members orgussets 40 on each side. Further, the rear U- shaped roll bar 24 is alsojoined adjacent its lower ends to the bars 27 and againtriangular-shaped braces or gussets 41 are provided.

Attention is now directed primarily to FIG. 5 of the drawings toillustrate the manner in which the rear portion of the canopy frame 11is pivoted in relation to the vehicle frame. To provide this pivot, anL-shaped bracket 42 is utilized. The base plate 43 of which is bolted tovehicle frame and carries an upwardly extending, preferably, integralleg 44, each corner of the lower roll bar 24 is identically formed andpivotably secured. In most instances the frame bolts of the vehicle canbe utilized to secure base plates 43 and windshield section plate 16,respectively. The pivotal movement of frame 11 is accomplished by anoffset pivotal arrangement and includes a threaded pivot bolt 45 weldedor otherwise secured at one end 46 to its respective plate 41. Thisthreaded pivot bolt extends inwardly and through an aperture provided atthe upper end of leg 44 so that it will freely rotate in relationthereto. Suitable lockwashers and locknuts indicated by referencenumeral 50 may also be provided. Further, to this frame the outertransparent shatter-proof canopy may be secured.

From the description thus far, it should be readily apparent that I haveprovided a transparent, strong, durable canopy that can be pivoted fromits full line position (FIG. 2) to its dotted line position, to providefor the ease of entering the vehicle. And that the canopy can be firmlylocked in place, and thus provide a space which confines the heateminating from the engine which completely encompasses the operator andriders, so that they may ride in safety. Also, in the event of strikingan obstruction or overturning, the strong framework and particularly theroll bars 15, 23 and 24 will prevent the collapsing of the canopy andthus eliminate serious injury to occupants.

It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, that canopyportion 11 can be secured to the vehicle frame in any of a number ofways, to provide for the ingress and egress of passengers. One other wayis illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings. Here the windshield andcanopy frame 10 and 11' respectively are practically identical in majorframe components in that each provides for the roll bars 15', 23, 24'and the respective longitudinally extending brace members 25, 26', and27'. The triangular plates or gussets 17' which act as guides and therear brace plate 41 are also identically formed. The main differencehowever, resides in the elimination of the pivoted construction and inlieu thereof, a longitudinal track bar 60 is secured on either side ofthe vehicle frame; and secured to the longitudinally extending member 27is a mating T-shaped slide member 61. Thus, in this form of theinvention, canopy 1 1. is moved from its closed full line position (FIG.7) to its open dotted line position in the direction of the arrows bysliding the same rearwardly and longitudinally with the vehicle frame.Otherwise, the construction and purpose is identical and the two frames10' and 11' are locked together in use in the same manner.

It should again be stressed that I have provided a novel transparentsafety canopy for all types of snowmobiles in which the onlymodification needed to adapt to different types of snowmobiles is in theformation of the forward windshield frame in that it must be contouredto fit and wrap around the different shaped cowlings. The rear portions11 and 11' of the safety canopy readily fit all types of snowmobiles. Itshould also be noted at this time, that I could provide (not shown) asingle unitary structure by extending the windshield frame rearwardly toa point approximately adjacent the rider. This would in itself provide ameans to confine the heat and also provide the safety factors at leastfor the operator.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the features and advantages ofmy invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and itwill, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion andminor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a snowmobile having a vehicle frame, a safety canopy including aframe structure of sufficient strength to give protection to theoccupants, said frame including spaced from and rear upright U-shapedroll bars, longitudinally extending brace members secured to said rollbars, a strong covering supported on the canopy frame structure from theforward portion to the rear, said rear roll bar being pivotally securedadjacent the rear of said vehicle frame for tiltable movement in avertical plane, and means on the vehicle frame for removably connectingthe forward portion of the canopy in lowered position, said meanscomprising pocket means on the vehicle frame for receiving lower forwardcorner portions of the canopy to restrain movement of the canopy andbrace the latter.

2. A snowmobile with a safety canopy as set forth in claim 1 in whichsaid pocket means for each lower forward corner portion comprises a pairof spaced members on the vehicle frame having a top opening and betweenwhich a corner portion of the canopy frame structure is removablyreceived.

1. In a snowmobile having a vehicle frame, a safety canopy including aframe structure of sufficient strength to give protection to theoccupants, said frame including spaced front and rear upright U-shapedroll bars, longitudinally extending brace members secured to said rollbars, a strong covering supported on the canopy frame structure from theforward portion to the rear, said rear roll bar being pivotally securedadjacent the rear of said vehicle frame for tiltable movement in avertical plane, and means on the vehicle frame for removably connectingthe forward portion of the canopy in lowered position, said meanscomprising pocket means on the vehicle frame for receiving lower forwardcorner portions of the canopy to restrain movement of the canopy andbrace the latter.
 2. A snowmobile with a safety canopy as set forth inclaim 1 in which said pocket means for each lower forward corner portioncomprises a pair of spaced members on the vehicle frame having a topopening and between which a corner portion of the canopy frame structureis removably received.